Dating is difficult in any culture, at any age. It's hard to find someone who you want to spend time with and who also returns the affection and desire. It's hard to put all of your trust in someone who could break it at any given moment.
It's even...
"Sam, I'm meeting your family, not getting ready for my execution." Andrew laughed. "I'm fine."
I rolled my eyes and squeezed his hand as I opened my front door. We had been out all day together, and my parents had made me promise to end the day with him having dinner with our family. I had unhappily obliged.
"Holy crap, is this Lincoln Carter's house? I might faint." Andrew said after stepping one foot inside the house. I rolled my eyes and punched him in the arm while he laughed uncontrollably.
"Hello?" I called out to the house at large, "We're here!"
"We're in the dining room, come on in!"
I followed the sound of my mother's voice and led Andrew past the kitchen and into the dining room, where my parents and both siblings were sitting around the table.
I walked in before Andrew and he followed, smiling at my family as he went.
"Hello. I'm Andrew."
"It's nice to meet you Andrew." My mother spoke first, "I'm Olivia Carter, and this is my husband Lincoln."
"A pleasure." My dad nodded as he stood to shake Andrew's hand before returning to his seat at the head of the table.
"Same to you." Andrew returned politely.
"I'm Vera." My sister raised her hand slightly and waved. "And this is Jared."
"We're not married, I can introduce myself." Jared muttered before shaking Andrew's hand. "What's up, man?"
"Not much." Andrew laughed, taking the empty seat beside Jared. I sat down in between him and my father, noting that he hadn't opted to sit next to Lincoln Carter.
I didn't think I was crazy for checking on that.
"So Andrew, what do you like to do?" My father asked as the first course came out and we began to eat, "I'm assuming you do something other than hang out with my daughter?"
"Yes, sir." Andrew nodded. "I enjoy sports, but I'm not very good at any of them. I like to play the guitar, but I'm still learning."
"So you like sports and guitar." My dad returned, "Don't sell yourself short, son."
"Yes sir." Andrew nodded firmly.
"Andrew is actually Kevin's cousin." I informed my family. They had met Kevin countless times when he would come over with Jess. "He just moved here from Austin for his dad's job."
"That's exciting!" My mother smiled, "Do you think that you're going to stay here?"
"I plan on it, until I figure out what college I want to attend." Andrew nodded. "Houston is beautiful."
"That it is." My mother agreed.
Silence fell over the table for a few minutes until the second course--lobster--came out, upon which I realized I had forgotten to mention Andrew's aversion to seafood.
"This is going to sound incredibly impolite of me, but I actually don't really eat seafood." Andrew spoke before I could. "It looks lovely, but I get sick."
"Oh, not a problem!" My mother shook her head, "I'll get our cook to whip you up something else. How does some filet mignon sound?"
Andrew looked slightly taken aback.
"Like you're feeding me far too well." He laughed. My mother smiled before running off to the kitchen to make sure he got his meal.
"Stands up for himself." My dad whispered to me, "I like it."
I grinned. So far he was doing everything perfectly, and I didn't see why that would change.
The meal came and went with no problems. We ate our lobster, Andrew ate his steak, and the conversation flowed with ease.
After the meal, my family decided to head into the living room while I gave Andrew a tour of the house.
"So I'm still waiting for you to do something stupid." I informed him as we walked up the main staircase.
"Excuse me?" Andrew laughed.
"Everyone does something stupid on the night they meet my parents. They flirt with my dad, they steal our stuff...I'm guessing you're going to follow suit?"
Andrew rolled his eyes as we walked into my room, the last room on the tour. We came to a stop by the bed and he turned me around to face him.
"Sam, listen to me." He said, he eyes looking into mine. "I know that was a joke, and I know you're fine with everything. But I need you to understand that I'm in this for you. Not for your family, not for your wealth, not for anything but you. I'm in this relationship because I love you and I want to be with you. I'm in this relationship because every morning when I wake up, I see your face in my mind. I'm in this relationship because you're the only person I want to have by my side. I'm in this relationship for you."
I was silent.
"And you don't have to say anything." Andrew shook his head, "I know it's only been two months since we started dating, and I just said I love you." His face turned pink, "But I mean it. I want to be with you and I want you to know that I love you. You could live in a trailer in the middle of the woods and have a convict as a father and I would still love you this much."
I took a deep breath.
I had said those three fatal words before, and they had proven to do nothing but hurt me. I had said those three words before and they had done me harm time and time again. I had said those three words and had been met with nothing in return.
So why not try again.
"I love you." I breathed out, highly aware of how close he was to me. "I love you too."
His hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him, falling down onto the bed. His lips crashed into mine and I wrapped my hand in his hair, unable to think of anything wrong with this man.
And all too soon, the door opened.
I pulled away from Andrew and looked up to see my sister.
"You're lucky I volunteered to come and get you." Vera rolled her eyes, "Dessert's ready."
She turned around and left.
I looked over at Andrew, who was trying not to laugh.
"I think I've had some sugar already tonight." He grinned before pulling me towards him again.
I was determined not to let this one go.
A/N: A little less dramatic than the last chapter.
Wednesday's going to be iffy for an update since I'll be working all night tonight at the beach all day tomorrow so I won't have much time to write, but I'll try to get one out!
-Katherine
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